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Friday, March 28, 2014

A Peek at the Hybrid Author: Choosing to Self-Publish

I’m giving the floor to my fab-tastic client, Donna
Hosie, whose YA novel is forthcoming from Holiday House. But she is also a
seasoned indie writer! Donna knew that traditional publishing wasn’t the only
way to go, and that self-publishing didn’t necessarily have to be a Plan B. Far
from setting a singular goal of signing her books over to a publishing house,
she saw an opportunity to take control of her own destiny – or, you know, her
distribution. Here's how she sees it:

----

Traditional or indie publishing? It’s a question more
and more writers are asking themselves. It’s never been easier to go down the
indie route, and with fewer imprints, it’s never been harder to chase the
traditional dream.

But is it a question that writers should be asking
themselves at all?

Enter stage left: thehybrid author. A hybrid author is
someone who wants the cake and eats it too! A hybrid author will have an agent
and hopefully a book deal (or ten!), but will still project-manage their own
career by independently publishing other work.

Take me, for example. I signed with Beth Phelan a year
and a half ago to represent my novel titled THE DEVIL’S INTERN. Because Beth is
AgentAwesomesauce™, she successfully negotiated me a book deal with Holiday
House in New York, one of the most respected publishers for children and young
adults in the industry. THE DEVIL’S series is a run of four novels and we are
very optimistic for its future. For my part, I trust Beth implicitly to handle
that side of my traditionally published career.

But when I signed with Beth, I was also independently releasing
a trilogy called THE RETURN TO CAMELOT. It was very important that this wasn’t
a problem, and when Beth and I started corresponding after her offer of
representation, the first question I asked was whether this was going to be an
issue.

Not only was it not an issue, but Beth was happy about
it.

Because here’s the big secret, and the reason why
writers shouldn’t ask themselves whether to choose the traditional or indie
route: progressive literary agents, (like Beth at The Bent Agency), know that
being a hybrid author is good for them, good for the author, and good for the
reader.

I have spent the last two years steadily building up my
author name/brand and my readership. When THE DEVIL’S INTERN is released in the
Fall, there will be readers waiting to read it. I understand the publishing
world because I’m at the heart of it already. I understand the process because
I manage my own.I’ve put down good
foundations for a successful traditional career. It really can be a win all
round.

There are differences, of course. With traditional
publishing I acquiesce a lot more control, and indie publishing takes more (wo)man
hours! Both routes require a huge amount of dedication and hard work, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way. I learn so much from having Beth in my corner,
and hopefully she learns from me.

So don’t ask yourself “traditional or indie publishing?”
Have your cake, eat it, and take those sprinkles on top as well!

----

Donna is enjoying the best of both worlds. Obviously,
this isn’t for everyone and it takes a certain kind of moxie to be a hybrid
author [I think Donna actually subsists on a diet of wine and chocolate so she
might just be a completely different breed [of awesome)]. But you don’t have to
choose between one and the other. And you don’t have to look at self-publishing
as a last resort or an Island of Misfit Toys Books. Self-publishing
isn’t the end, and most of the time, its sales won’t turn agents’/editors’
heads either. If you're self-publishing because you're hoping for big numbers that will catch our attention, you're going at it all wrong. It could totally happen, but I think your main focus should be on making your indie book a success for YOU; take it seriously and be your own publisher. We should be setting a new standard, celebrating our achievements -- big and small -- and exploring the indie route in a more dedicated way to find our
audience.

As long as you’re committed, you can have both.

You can follow Donna’s journey on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
and on her blog. Look
for THE DEVIL’S INTERN (Holiday House) in Fall 2014 and her indie THE RING OF
MORGANA coming this May!

7 comments:

Loving your thoughts on this topic, Donna! I agree, this doesn't need to be an either/or situation. Both traditional and indie publishing have their upsides and downsides, so if someone wants to explore both, they should allow themselves to give in to that urge!

Hi Donna and Beth, I love this article! And not just because I'm a fellow Jenny Bent-ite. I think following both paths strengthens a career, and I'm on that path, too. Wishing you the best of luck, and sharing this around my community at www.janmoranwrites.com.

Might I add the importance of marketing, too? I've spoken to some writers who want a traditional deal because they don't want to do any marketing or social media. If a person wants to make a living as a writer, these are critical tools to learn to use. As a hybrid writer, these skills will lift your career on both traditional and indie publishing.

I loved Donna's Camelot trilogy and I can't wait to read The Devil's Intern and Ring of Morgana. She is an inspiration to those of us stuck in the query trenches, and its so reassuring to see huge agencies like The Bent Agency promoting what's best for a writer.